Talking

We can talk about 120 to 150 words per minute. We think between 600 to 800 words per minute. What these facts mean is that, when you are talking, your listeners are way ahead of you. You can never talk faster than they can think and you are always in danger of losing their interest.

So what do you do to keep hold their attention. You must talk their "language". What this means is that, if you are talking to a group of college undergraduates, you must know their interest, the current trend among them and weave it into your conversation. If you are talking to senior managements than you learn what is that turns their world.

It is impossible to hold the attention of anyone for long periods. Researches done on the human attention span shows that the mind needs a break every 10 minutes. So, if you have to talk, remember to sprinkle your talks with humour or digress a bit every 1o minutes or so.

Also remember that, it is your duty to hold the attention of your listener.

Simplify - No 2

The papers in your office can be divided into 4 types:

1. Can be thrown away - old cards, expired warranties, old newspapers, anything that you know you will refer it again.

2. Forwarding - papers that can be delegated.

3. Important - things that you have to yourself.

4. Immediate action - That needs you immediate attention.

The first two is obvious. Throw away what you can and a little more. Somehow it is hard to let go things that we know we will use again, but hoarding up things is just going take your energy away. As for things that can be done by others, pass it to them.

Important things and immediate action things deserves your attention.

Immediate action things can be fax, phone calls, emails and others that must be done now. Do it and get over with it.

Learn to deal with things just once and be selective about what is important. Always start with

Will We Succeed?

Science Daily recently reported on a research by University of Illinois Professor Dolores Albarracin and Visiting Assistant Professor Ibrahim Senay, along with Kenji Noguchi, Assistant Professor at Southern Mississippi University, about self talk.

The research shows that those who ask themselves whether they will perform a task generally do better than those who tell themselves that they will.

"The popular idea is that self-affirmations enhance people's ability to meet their goals," Professor Albarracin said. "It seems, however, that when it comes to performing a specific behavior, asking questions is a more promising way of achieving your objectives."

Read the article in full here.

The "Better Immediately" Principle

This principle can be illustrated by this example;you see a spot of stain on your stove, rather than wiping sighing and telling yourself that the whole stove needs a wipe over, you just take a piece of rag and clean the stain first.

This simple action leaves you feeling a little better about the situation. Rather than aiming for perfection ( wiping the whole stove), you acted immediately and made a positive difference. This, of course, shouldn't stop you from cleaning the whole stove later

This is a useful principle to use. Rather than always seeking perfection, strive for a simple and direct solution first to address the problem at hand.

Praise

If you see a man doing something good, tell him. Don't wait. A little praise can go a long way.

Do this today and do it everyday.